[spectre] eBay debris....

[Jeremy Welsh]

>From Guardian online, 13 sep.

eBay blocks sale of debris

                                                     Staff and agencies
                                                     Thursday September
13, 2001

                                                     Debris from the
wreckage of the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon was
                                                     offered for sale on
eBay, the internet auction website, immediately after the
                                                     terror attacks, it
emerged today.

                                                     The first pieces of
rubble went on sale within an hour of the first plane
                                                     crash, USA Today
reported. Most of the debris came from New York's twin
                                                     towers but some
came from the Pentagon.

                                                     Kevin Pursglove, of
eBay, said: "It started probably within the hour."

                                                     Staff at the
company stepped in to remove the entries advertising the grisly
                                                     souvenirs.

                                                     Some items linked
to the disaster have been allowed to remain on sale,
                                                     including copies of
USA Today, the New York Daily News and the New York
                                                     Post from the day
after the attacks, and refrigerator magnets from the
                                                     World Trade Centre.

                                                     A message on the
front page of the US version of the eBay website reads:
                                                     "September 11 was a
terrible day for the United States and many people in
                                                     the eBay community.
The thoughts of everyone at eBay go out to the victims
                                                     of Tuesday's
tragedy and their families."

                                                     In a similar case,
a computer game which asks players to defend the World
                                                     Trade Centre from
kamikaze pilots has been withdrawn.

                                                     The game, titled
WTC Defender, had been available to download over the
                                                     internet at
www.angelfire.com/games4/wtc. Players had to shoot down
                                                     planes heading for
the twin towers. If an aircraft managed to get through, the
                                                     buildings blew up.

                                                     A note on the site
says: "WTC Defender - the game has been removed. Please
                                                     note - the game was
not meant to offend anyone, my deepest condolences to
                                                     all of you who have
lost someone in this tragedy."

                                                     A Bulgarian
internet club managed to download the game before it was
                                                     withdrawn, the
Bulgarian state-run BTA news agency reported.

http://www.guardian.co.uk